COUNTY rowing star Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank ended her season with a second silver medal at the World Rowing U19 Championships in Canada on Sunday.

It was nearly gold for the Monmouthshire rower and GB double sculls partner Olivia Cheesmur from Molesey, as they led by over 1L with 500m to go.

But a huge surge by the Greek duo into the strong headwind saw the Brits caught 200m before the line, as they just held off the fast-finishing Spanish for silver.

Former Monmouth Comprehensive pupil and rower Violet, who will head for Washington University in the US on a sports scholarship later this year, said: "It was a bit of a strong head wind but we took it on as much as we could and we did everything we could.

"We’ve worked so hard as a team together the past month. We’ve been through a lot. I’m so proud of us.”

Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank, right, racing in the GB double scull at the U19 world championships in Canada
Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank, right, racing in the GB double scull at the U19 world championships in Canada. Photo: British Rowing (British Rowing)

It's been a remarkable 18 months for the 18-year-old, who was part of the GB women’s coxless four that won World U19 silver on the Paris Olympic lake a year ago.

As part of the Wycliffe Rowing squad, she helped win the Championship girls' 8s at the Schools' Head in London in 2023 and the Henley Women's Regatta junior quadruple sculls, as well as making the final at Henley Royal Regatta.

This year, her Wycliffe boat went unbeaten all season, winning the girls' championship quadruple sculls at the Schools' Head, the Junior Sculling Head, the National Schools’ Regatta, Henley Women's and then Henley Royal Regatta.

On the 2000m Royal Canadian Henley course in St Catherine’s, Ontario, which was also hosting the U23 and senior world championships for non-Olympic events, Violet and Olivia won their five-boat women’s doubles heat in style by 3L from Norway,

And in the six-boat semi-final, with three to qualify, they came home 1.5L clear of Romania in second to grab a centre lane final slot next to the other semi-final winners from Greece, plus Spain, Romania, Germany and Italy.

Conditions were considerably slower and heavier going in Sunday’s medal race, raced into a strong gusting headwind.

But GB, with Violet at stroke, stormed out to a clear water lead at 500m and sustained it to go through half-way 1.5L up on the Greek duo, with Spain, Romania and Germany battling it out for third a similar distance back.

The Brits still had a 3.5 second lead hitting the three-quarter way 1500m mark, and looked on for victory.

But they had given everything to this point, and as the Greeks launched a furious drive for the line, GB were caught some 20 strokes short, finally finishing completely rowed out some 2L back, with the Spanish winning the battle for bronze just another 1/2L behind.

The race took half a minute longer than the semi-finals such was the effect of the wind, with Greece crossing in 7.39.90, GB in 7.45.82 and Spain in 7.47.46.

GB won a boat full of medals at the combined multi-age championships following their Paris Olympics success – which included women’s doubles bronze for St Weonards’ Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne – taking gold in men’s U19 8s, plus five silvers in the women’s eight, four, and quad alongside the double, and men’s four.

The U23s also landed five golds in the men’s eight and four, and women’s eight, four and pair, plus bronze in the women’s quad scull.

Remarkably, GB are Olympic and world champions in all classes of the men’s 8.